#Japan #Earthquake: Aftershock Stopped the Electricity from Hokkaido to Honshu

(Paging Murphy, paging Murphy....)

The late-night Magnitude 7.4 aftershock off the coast of Miyagi Prefecture may have damaged the submarine power cable that transmits electric power from Hokkaido Electric Power Company to Honshu (Japan's main island), according to Yomiuri Shinbun (11:12AM JST 4/8/2011).

The cable spans 43 kilometers under the Tsugaru Strait, 300 meters from the surface of the ocean. The cable is 14 centimeters in diameter, and it has a capacity of 600,000 kilowatts.

Hokkaido Electric Power Company has been sending power through this cable facility to Honshu since the March 11 earthquake.

Asahi Shinbun says it's not the cable but it is the problem at the transformer facility in Aomori.

Over 3 million households in Tohoku are still without power due to the aftershock on April 7.

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